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Deuteronomy 5:4

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Deuteronomy 5:4 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “Jehovah spake with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire,” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

Jehovah spake with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire,
Deuteronomy 5:4 — American Standard Version

Context — Deuteronomy 5

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
1And Moses called unto all Israel, and said unto them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the ordinances which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and observe to do them.
2Jehovah our God made a covenant with us in Horeb.
3Jehovah made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day.
4Jehovah spake with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire,
5(I stood between Jehovah and you at that time, to show you the word of Jehovah: for ye were afraid because of the fire, and went not up into the mount;) saying,
6I am Jehovah thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
7Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
← Deuteronomy 5:3Deuteronomy 5:5 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“The Lord talked with you face to face in the mount, etc.] Meaning, not in that free, friendly, and familiar manner, in which he sometimes talked with Moses, of whom this phrase is used, (<023311>Exodus 33:11), but publicly, audibly, clearly, and distinctly, or without the interposition of another; he did not speak to them by Moses, but to them themselves; he talked to them without a middle person between them, as Aben Ezra expresses it: without making use of one to relate to them what he said; but he talked to them directly, personally: out of the midst of the fire; in which he descended, and with which the mountain was burning all the time he was speaking; which made it very awful and…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“The Lord talked with you face to face in the mount--not in a visible and corporeal form, of which there was no trace (Deu 4:12, Deu 4:15), but freely, familiarly, and in such a manner that no doubt could be entertained of His presence.”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“Face to face - Personally and immediately, not by the mouth or ministry of Moses; plainly and certainly, as when two men talk face to face; freely and familiarly, so as not to overwhelm and confound you. Deuteronomy 5:5”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Deu 5:24-26, Deu 4:33, Deu 4:36, Deu 34:10; Exo 19:9, Exo 19:18, Exo 19:19, Exo 20:18-22, Exo 33:11; Num 12:8 Deuteronomy 5:5”
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Related study paths

Read Deuteronomy 5 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification